Using Social Psychology to Reduce Bias and Conflict

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How to Reduce Biases: Learn About Them

Reducing biases, sometimes called debiasing, is not easy. I will post several articles and research-based ideas toward this goal. One basic way to try to reduce biases is to learn about them (Stalder, 2012).

But a first step may be to be open to the possibility that you might even be biased in the first place (see Pledge #1). Learning about biases might not go very far if you don’t think that what you’re learning even has a chance of pertaining to you. You might be able to define a bias but not notice it in yourself.

When I cover a bias in the classroom, I am sure to say that the bias occurs “on average.” Not everyone shows every bias, and some of us are more biased than others. But as true as that empirical statement is, there is a risk in my highlighting it, because most of us think we’re above average (in what’s called the above-average effect).

The problem is that if every bias occurs on average but most of us think we’re above average, then most of us might not think that the bias research pertains to us. We might think that a particular bias is something that “other people” have to worry about but not us. Most students even think they’re above average when it comes to avoiding the above-average effect (Friedrich, 1996). (!)

So try to be open to the possibility that you are average (at least at times) and that any particular bias might (might) pertain to you. (This advice goes for all of us, even social psychology instructors and psychotherapists.)

Under this condition of open-mindedness, knowing or learning about a bias probably has a better chance of reducing it across the people who learn about it. I’m not saying that you, a particular reader, are biased. But if the majority of readers try to be open in this way, then on average, biases might reduce overall.

Dr. Jamil Zaki once posted an article at his Scientific American blog, The Moral Universe, about how psychology research is “not about you” because it’s based on averages. I posted a comment saying whoa, maybe, but it might be about you, so let’s keep an open mind. Zaki generally seemed to agree in his reply (though he reasonably cautioned science writers not to overstate what a particular study meant for a particular reader).

A primary purpose of my blog is for people to learn about interpersonal and self biases. Then you might be more likely to catch yourself in a particular bias, such as the fundamental attribution error (FAE), hindsight bias, or above-average effect (three of the biases discussed so far at this site).

But learning about biases can also help you to identify potential biases in other people (though be careful when inferring others’ biases; sometimes perceptions of bias can be biased). And if you’re close enough to these other people, then perhaps you can try to make them aware of their potential biases, which can reduce biases. I will post a separate article (or set of articles) on whether or how to call people out in this way.

But if you’re a parent who has learned about bias research, then you can help your kids to catch or avoid certain biases. For example, most parents probably raise their kids not to be racially prejudiced. If you’re a teacher or therapist, then you have opportunity to help your students or clients, respectively, to reduce or avoid biases as well.

If you and your friends are all into social psychology, then you can call each other out on potential biases. I once had a student in social psychology who said that she and her friends had fun regularly calling each other out on the FAE. Cool. (Warning: May not be fun for everyone.)

So once you learn about a bias, you can try (if you’d like) to keep your eye out for it, in yourself and others.

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References:

Friedrich, J. (1996). On seeing oneself as less self-serving than others: The ultimate self-serving bias? Teaching of Psychology, 23, 107-109.

Stalder, D. R. (2012). A role for social psychology instruction in reducing bias and conflict. Psychology Learning and Teaching, 11, 245-255.

Meaning of “PARBs”

PARBs stands for "Persons At Risk of Bias." PARBs Anonymous is an online support group for those of us who realize our potential biases in how we see ourselves, others, and the world. Despite the benefits of correcting biases, realizing that we are biased and realizing how many biases there are can be depressing. The message of the support group is that you're not alone and you can improve. To err is human.

Over 6 Billion Unofficial Members Worldwide

To err is human. Everybody makes mistakes. You don't have to enroll or participate in this support group to be an unofficial member. We are ALL at risk of bias.

Purposes of this Site

1. Learn about the variety of interpersonal and self biases that you and your friends, coworkers, and family are at risk of committing.
2. Learn about the consequences of bias, including making poor decisions and triggering or exacerbating interpersonal conflicts.
3. Read posts by me and others that show where and how these biases can appear.
4. Learn about ways to reduce biases in yourself and others.
5. Learn about the benefits of reducing bias. Bias reduction can improve interpersonal accuracy, improve decision making, reduce conflicts, and otherwise increase good will toward others.
6. SUBMIT YOUR OWN COMMENTS. Comments can contain stories or thoughts about your own or others' potential biases (though be careful when inferring others' biases; sometimes perceptions of bias can be biased). Comments can respond to posts, respond to other comments,... Please be courteous and diplomatic, avoid profanities, obscenities, etc... (e.g., please no name-calling, which can be a form of the fundamental attribution error). I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO PREVENT/REMOVE COMMENTS WITH PROFANITY, PERSONAL ATTACKS, SPAM, ETC...

Beware Depression

Many biases satisfy human needs to feel in control and to feel good about ourselves. When these needs are not satisfied, depression is more likely. In other words, many biases (in moderation) are mentally healthy ways to be, and moderately depressed individuals tend to be more accurate perceivers than non-depressed individuals (termed "depressive realism"). Thus, do not try to reduce your biases all at once or too quickly, because you might start to feel helpless, insecure, or less positive about yourself, which can contribute to depression. This site will provide tips to minimize the risk of depression while trying to reduce (mentally healthy) biases.